All schools should be sugar-free to prevent rising rates of serous tooth decay, surgeons say today.
The Royal College of Surgeons warned that thousands of children now need hospital treatment for the effects of tooth decay.
Among children under the age of ten, there were 102,663 hospital admissions for tooth decay in three years, according to the college’s Faculty of Dental Surgery.
According to its figures, more than 40% of English children did not visit a dentist last year. Some 23% of five-year-olds now have visible tooth decay.
The faculty says the recent introduction of a levy on soft drinks is welcome – but not enough.
Faculty dean Professor Michael Escudier said: "It is incredibly worrying that levels of tooth decay among children in England remain so high – especially when you consider that it is almost entirely preventable through simple steps such as brushing twice a day with appropriate strength fluoride toothpaste, visiting the dentist regularly and reducing sugar consumption.
"While the Government has committed to reviewing school food standards, we would like to see them go beyond this to encourage all schools in England to become sugar free. We would also support the publication of nutritional guidelines for packed lunches.
“The scourge of child dental decay cannot be allowed to continue."
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